Letter of EndorsementAcademics' Letter of Endorsement

As scholars and intellectuals holding positions in a wide range of universities and other institutions, we write to offer our support for President Bush's April 2, 2003 nomination of Dr. Daniel Pipes to the board of directors of the U.S. Institute of Peace (USIP).

Detractors have denounced Dr. Pipes' nomination by impugning his scholarship and accusing him of "extremism," of "Muslim-bashing," and of "Islamophobic" bigotry.

We believe these charges are systematically inaccurate and inappropriate. Dr. Pipes has made many contributions in the fields of study of Middle East politics and terrorism. He has taught these subjects at such institutions as Harvard University, the University of Chicago, and the U.S. Naval War College. He has authored nearly a dozen highly regarded books about the Middle East and Islam. As the head of the Philadelphia-based think tank, the Middle East Forum, he has attempted to inform national debate over some of the most urgent public policies of the day. Further, he has written widely on these and related topics in popular venues, including in newspaper columns.

His extensive experience as an outspoken opponent of terrorism, including Islamic fundamentalist terrorism, has earned him a following among scholars and ordinary Americans of all backgrounds. In the course of this work, he has consistently made efforts to distinguish moderate Islam from its extremist offshoots. He is no bigot. As a result, Dr. Pipes' supporters include Christians, Jews, and a substantial number of moderate Muslims. His positions have provoked debate. But the claim that these positions are extreme is as inaccurate as the claim that Dr. Pipes is a bigot is grossly unfair. Dr. Pipes' positions lie well within the broad mainstream of national discussion over these pressing issues.

As a leading expert in the field, Dr. Pipes is committed to opposing global terrorism and religious intolerance. His position on the USIP board will afford the institution an opportunity to benefit from his thinking on these and related fields of scholarly inquiry.